


The Night before the Wedding

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-06
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-02-07 18:23:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1909101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the night before their wedding, and John leaves unannounced. As Rodney follows him, his mind comes up with worst-case scenarios.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Night before the Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> Written for McSheplets challenge #179: prepare. Mention of past John/OMC and John/Nancy.

Rodney was annoyed. Getting his suit done on such short notice had cost a small fortune, his sister was going on and on about how he could count himself lucky that someone like John wanted to marry him, and his soon-to-be husband actually wanted to follow tradition and had asked that they sleep in separate rooms the night before the wedding.

When the IOA finally gave the okay for Atlantis to return to the Pegasus Galaxy, they'd hastily set the date and picked the Sheppards' old summer home in Northern California as location, inviting both their families and their closest friends.

Now Rodney wanted to vent and calm down his nerves, but John didn't want to see him. After sulking for a bit, Rodney decided to just go to John. If he insisted, Rodney could leave again, but Rodney wanted to talk to him. John always knew how to talk him down in situations like this.

When Rodney quietly knocked on the door to John's room, there was no answer. He opened it anyway—only to find it empty. He frowned, walking downstairs into the kitchen. Maybe John had gotten restless as well.

There was nobody downstairs, however. Rodney didn't want to panic, but then he heard a car door being shut, and the rental backed out of the driveway.

What the hell? John couldn't leave him the night before the wedding! Without thinking Rodney grabbed the keys to the Millers' car and got in to follow John.

He couldn't help thinking about the look of surprise on John's face when Rodney had proposed only three months after they'd gotten together. John's eventual "okay" might not have been what Rodney had expected, but it had been a yes, and John had seemed pleased.

Now Rodney wondered if it had been too soon. They hadn't set a date immediately. Rodney hadn't been in a hurry because the engagement had sort of sealed the deal for him. Not that he had doubts about John's loyalty, but he'd felt an irrational fear that after finally finding someone he really wanted to marry not just to be married but because they fit together so well, he might lose him if he didn't pop the question in time.

John hadn't brought up setting a date either. Maybe he'd been happy that they were taking their time. Maybe rushing the ceremony now because of the IOA's decision took away time that he still needed to get comfortable with the idea.

Rodney drove what he hoped was a safe distance from John, not being too obvious about following him, but still not risking to lose him. He didn't want to lose John. If this was too soon for him, they could wait. Rodney would love to return to the Pegasus Galaxy with John as his husband, but not at the risk of losing him completely.

Why couldn't John just have said something?

Though maybe it wasn't cold feet. Maybe John wasn't making a run for it. Or at least not without the intention of returning again for the wedding tomorrow. Maybe he just wanted one more chance to be free.

What if he was looking for a one-night-stand? It occurred to Rodney that they never really had a talk about being exclusive. After confessing their feelings, they'd jumped into bed together to _finally_ satiate the craving they'd always had for each other on some level. God, that had been amazing.

And it was still amazing. At least to Rodney. He thought John loved it too, but of course, just because he was crazy about Rodney, didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't appreciate still fucking other people. Some people were just wired that way. It didn't mean they didn't love their primary partners.

What if John was one of them and he just hadn't dared to bring it up with Rodney? Rodney wasn't sure how he would feel if John asked to open their relationship even just a tiny crack for some occasions. He had to admit that he'd never dealt well with John so much as flirting with other people. Okay, he was crazy jealous and it made his heart ache to think about the possibility of John seeking pleasure elsewhere the night before their wedding.

John took a turn not into the city with the bars and night clubs with potential one-night-stands, but into a quiet neighborhood.

So probably not a one-night-stand. Maybe someone he'd known from his summers here as a child. Or teenager. John hadn't been quite clear about that part. What if it was someone from John's past? His first love maybe? Or the first serious relationship? An ex he'd never quite gotten over?

John wasn't very forthcoming about his past relationships. Rodney knew of Nancy and that there'd been at least two relationships with guys before that, but he didn't know any details.

John slowed down and parked the car. Rodney was confused because it wasn't in front of a house. Then his eyes widened when he realized what this was. A cemetery.

Oh, this was worse then visiting an ex even for a night of remembrance and sex. John had been tight-lipped about his past relationships. What if his partner had died? What if his hesitancy to enter another relationship had been because he knew that he'd already met the love of his life and he was dead?

Rodney's heart constricted but he still followed John. He knew he wouldn't be able to compete with a dead ex-lover. Would he be willing to be the one John settled on? They were so good together. Would it really matter? The truth was that Rodney would never forget about it, but at the same time, he still couldn't imagine finding someone better suited to him than John, and he knew that John would never make him feel like being second best on purpose.

Rodney hid behind some trees. The full moon shone brightly, so he could clearly see John putting something on a headstone, then heard him talking too quietly for Rodney to understand. Rodney remained quiet. When John left, he would be able take a look at the name. He needed to know who was so important to John that he came here the night before their wedding—assuming John intended to go through with it.

Suddenly John raised his voice enough for Rodney to hear him. "And I want you to meet him." Then he turned to Rodney. Crap! His stealth abilities were apparently not worth their salt. Or John's perception was too good.

Well, he'd been caught, so there was no point in trying to deny it. He stepped away from the tree and came closer. With a certain amount of dread he turned to read the inscription on the headstone.

_Kelly Sheppard ~ Beloved wife and mother ~ 1947 - 1979_

"Your mother," Rodney said in surprise.

"Yes," John said. "She wanted to be buried here. Where we'd been happiest."

Rodney felt like a fool.

"Mom, this is the man I'm going to marry," John said, taking Rodney's hand.

"I, uh," Rodney said awkwardly. "Hello, Mrs. Sheppard."

One corner of John's mouth tugged up. "It's okay, Rodney. You don't have to say anything." He lifted Rodney's hand to his face to kiss it.

"No, I...I want to," Rodney said. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet you. I know that John loved you very much. He avoids talking about you with that intensity that only comes when he doesn't want to express his feelings."

John snorted. "I told you he knows me. Sometimes too well."

"I love your son more than...I honestly cannot think of anything that I love more than your son," Rodney said. "I love some things as _much_ as your son, but nothing more."

That made John smile. "He's honest to a fault," he said.

"Well, it's true," Rodney said. "I love him so much that it sometimes makes me a bit crazy," he added, thinking about the wild ideas he'd gotten when he'd followed John.

John raised an eyebrow.

"I was worried you might get cold feet," Rodney admitted. "Or that you were picking up a one-night-stand for your last night of freedom." He wasn't sure why he couldn't keep his mouth shout.

"What?!"

"And when you entered the cemetery, I thought it was to visit an old lover, the love of your life, who—"

John gripped Rodney's arms. "Rodney, breathe."

Rodney took a deep breath. "Look, all of this is a bit overwhelming. You know how I can get in certain situations."

"I didn't think getting married to me would be one of those. _You_ asked _me_ ," John reminded him.

"I _know_ ," Rodney said. "And I want to marry you. At least if you want to marry me. You didn't ask to set a date after you said yes. I mean after you said, 'okay'."

"You didn't either," John pointed out. "I didn't mind being engaged for a while. We've only been together for a few months."

"I knew it. It was too soon," Rodney said, shaking his head.

John sighed and pulled Rodney into his arms. Then he kissed him. Rodney melted into the kiss. God, he loved kissing John. "Better?" John asked after pulling away.

"If you need more time, we don't have to get married tomorrow. We'll come back here for leave another time. Or we can get married in Atlantis," Rodney said.

"I don't need more time," John said. "I've never been more certain about anything in my life. I want to marry you, Rodney. But I'm also happy being engaged to you. I was happy just being with you. It's all fine with me as long as we're together."

"Oh," Rodney said. "That's good."

John smiled. "Do I also have to explicitly tell you that I don't want anyone else?"

"You don't _have_ to, but I wouldn't exactly _mind_ hearing it," Rodney said evasively.

John grinned. "I only want you and nobody else."

Rodney exhaled. He _did_ feel better actually hearing it from John.

"Anything else?" John asked.

"Well," Rodney said. "You never talk about your ex-boyfriends."

John's jaw clenched and his gaze darkened, but he said, "Derek dumped me for a new freshman to initiate into gay sex, and Paul asked me to choose between him and the Air Force. And they were both assholes about it. I don't want to talk about it because those aren't experiences I care to relive."

"I...I'm sorry," Rodney said.

"Don't be," John said softly. "We need to be able to talk about things if this is supposed to work. It might be something I need to work on."

"I could have asked before..."

"Getting all sorts of crazy ideas?" John suggested.

"It seemed plausible at the time," Rodney said.

"That I went out to fuck someone else tonight or that I'm hung up on a dead lover?" John asked.

"Maybe plausible is too strong a word," Rodney conceded sheepishly.

"I can't promise that I'll never disappoint you," John said seriously, "but I'll always love you more than anything in the world."

Rodney gazed at him for a long moment and could see nothing but sincerity in John's eyes. "I know," he said.

"How about we get back home then? I think there was something we wanted to do tomorrow. Might be worth being awake for," John said with a smile.

"Can I please stay with you?" Rodney asked.

"Maybe it's better that I keep an eye on you until we're married," John said.

Rodney sighed in relief.

"You know, I would have taken you here after the wedding," John added. "I just..."

"It's fine," Rodney said. "What did you tell her? Unless you don't want to..."

"That I found someone who makes me truly happy," John said.

Rodney beamed. "Let's go," he said. "I can't wait for tomorrow."

John chuckled. "Neither can I, Rodney. Neither can I."


End file.
